should i?
 

A co-worker of mine had me work on his honda civic and toyota pick-up. He was impressed with my skills and asked me all kinds of questions. Well turns out he just bought a auto repair shop in modesto, ca. And wanted me to be a mechanic in the shop along with another guy.

He said its not going to be anything to major, so no engine rebuilds or overhauls. He wants me to work on tune-ups, tires, and brakes. His other buddy has been working over at the dodge dealership and just finished getting his certificate for A/C so he will work on A/C, suspension, and alignments.

He knows i dont have any certificates or anything like that for auto mechanics but still wants me to work for him and go to school to get my certificates over the summer. The shop will be opened up and all put together next year.

What do you guys think? is it worth it in the long run? My plan was to get my auto mechanics training at the city college. And after that my family said theyd be more then willing to help me open up my own shop.

But should i just get my certificates through ROP over the summer and work for my co-worker to get some experiance first? Then later on open up a shop of my own?

I'd avoid a job in a new shop. It's alot of hassle, little work, and uncertain future. I was the first person on the payroll of "On The Road Again" auto care center(LINK) . While the idea was great and I loved working there, it was alot of stress, scraping by, referring people to the shop, and finding work to do.

Starting a shop of your own also takes lots of $$$, a good reputation, lots of advertisement and LOTS of $$$ for equipment. Unless you can afford the computers and training to work on modern computerized cars (and hybrid cars in the future), opening up an independent shop in this day and age is not worth the stress and risks. The shop I started for took out a $200,000 loan just to get off the ground.

Don't expect to become a master just from going to city college/vo-tech. It's good to get the basics to get you going, but you have to get *real* experience on your own in the field.

Remember, reputation is everything!

Well, Forced hit it right on the head. If I were you, do what I did.
I came out of school, and went right to a dealership. Any dealer, it doesn't matter. Just pick out a brand you want to work on, or specialize in, or just learn about. They'll start you on small stuff with great pay, and bennies ,too boot. They guys at most dealerships are top notch,and a lot of them enjoy sharing experience, and skills. Not to mention, If you're stumped, or screw up, there are 20 guys to help solve a problem, or re-fix something. I once accidentally left a shop rag under an intake manifold on a pretty new lincoln at a Lincoln/Mercury dealer. The job took all day, and when I finished the rag, got sucked into the engine, and shredded. I went to another project, and took a harping for the next few weeks/months....well ok, I still get ragged on when I show up there seven years later. But the mechanic who came to the rescue took it all apart, and re-fixed it, and the car was done in just a few more hours. This guy could have done it in his sleep. My suggestion is you forget your own shop, and your co-workers, and get your foot in the door of the dealership of choice. I would start now. They'll still keep you working. The more they see you can do, the better jobs they'll give you to do. You'll likely be started on L.O.F. or something but it won't be long 'til they give your real jobs. You'll also have their rep.and advertisement, and score sidework. When the lady at the bank sees your dealership checks come in she'll ask you to fix her car on the side, instead of her having to go pay the dealer, top dollar. See what I'm getting at? Get a job, your tools, and good luck

The dealership is a great option. Just be sure to look for hourly pay job instead of flat rate until you have a few years under your belt.

Another good option (The one I chose) is a fleet repair and maintenance shop. It's less rushed and less competitive atmosphere than a dealership. You can get deep into the vehicles and really get to know them. However, the pay is usually a bit less.

Oh man, those are real tough choices. Maybe you could get your certificates at your local college, and look around at some of the good Mercedes dealers, or other makes where you could work. With all the local insurance and paperwork regulations, it's hard to open up your own place and not make a regulatory misstep.

Nick's advice is very good and so is Forced's. Maybe you could do some "informational" type interviews at some of the dealers around, and see what the service managers or owners feel a good career route might be.

What about diesel maintenance for big rigs? Would working for a place like that work? I bet Nick knows something about these places as he owns b ig rigs.

No doubt about it, there is a need for good auto mechanics in Northern California.

Whatever you do, Ruben we are pulling for you and hope you find a perfect job, that works out well.

Good advice from both.
 

It doesn't sound to me like you have a big interest in big trucks. i will tell you though, that working on them is a lot of adventure, and less aggravation. The mechanical parts are almost all universal. As in, you could pull a motor from a Freightliner,and bolt it into a Pete in a few short hours. The parts are made by outside companies. You can literally buy, any truck / engine / tranny / gears / suspension, or any kind of combo you want. This is great for your learning curve. If you learn Detroit diesels, you can work at any make, dealership, or repair facility, etc. I could go on all day about mix matching.
The point is that getting parts, learning to work on them, and their systems, and everything involved in them is much easier to learn, better paying, and in most cases, more rewarding. A job at a freightliner dealer or a Paccar dealer (Peterbilt/Kenworth) would be great for you. I've got a monster fleet of my own. Mostly all Freightliners. They look great, run supebly, and are generally a very reliable piece of equiptment. Try a truck dealer. You'll be amazed at what your looking at, and the size of some of the parts, etc. I've got a lot more, but don't want to kill this thread. If you are interested we can talk about it. I can give you advice, and great suggestions. I've been in the business forever, and have a lot of contacts also. I can help if you'd like. Get me in a p.m., or email.

i'd kinda tend to agree with ya there truck.i grew up in the car business.i was workin on cars when i was 12.got out in 92 for 3 reasons :1.my dad retired in 86 and i was managing the business til 92,and he was to the point he wanted to sell the business.2.i had back surgery on a herniated disc.3 i looked at the cost of equipment to service these computer controlled vehicle,the cost of the scanners,and programs for them every year for every make and if i wanted to continue working on them.i looked at it as the stress level would only go up and didn't want that.glad i got out when i did.i know guys that have gone the dealership route,and they made good money but they also got burnt out in 10 years and quit.the technology these days you have to keep up with almost on a daily basis or your lost.i personnally don't know why anybody in their right mind would WANT to work on these new cars.

City college=ASE? if so, you'll probably get hired sooner, at a higher rate. it would probably be smart to go for the cert. dealerships would train you for their brand.

I dont think community college straight into your own shop is a good idea. get some expeirience first, and maybe some good custumers you can take with you when/if you open your own shop. besides, what if you hate it?

I worked on peterbuilts utility/thermoking reefers from 96 till 99.I was 19 when i started.for a small fleet of 5 when i started, to 11 tractors by the time i left. all warranty trucks, so I didn't really tear into any big jobs, but all the routine maintence and some 'puter stuff.

learned alot of things. like how to drive one of them big rigs.no license, but I would put them in and out, back into the docks, etc. never on the road,;)
ohh yeah, and changing tires. lots of really big tires. by hand. i could do a set of drives in about an hour, solo.

I enjoyed most of it, but was getting stiffed on the $ end of things, so....

AAHHH!! and where were you on the night of the 28th.? I had one meezly drive flat that took the kid at T/A Denver, East almost 5 hours to fix, and it leaked back down by the time I got to Kansas. Really sucked big time. Had to pay the $45.00 again to get the flat re fixed for another two hours. All of that for one tire. Man was I mad. I've seen guys like you out here, but they're far and few. There's a certain tech. to big truck tires, and either someone has it or they don't. I've had guys change a tire out in as much as 8 hours, and as little as 20 minutes. All depends on their technique. I used to dismount car and truck tires by hand all the time. I could never get the second bead off though. The inside bead. I would not even attempt to try a re-mount though. Wish you were there the other night. Someone taught you the right way and you learned it well. I'm at T/A Mobile, alabama tonight. Getting a p.m. done in the next day or so. I recommend Speedco for these. Like a jiffy lube for trucks.

Big truck mechanics have fun though. Oh hey Grease before I forget...Check with your local rental agency also, Ryder, Penski, Edart, (NOT U-HAUL), there are more, just check for names, I'm drawing a blank. They all pay well, and have a good variety of makes, models, and drivetrains. They've got trucks Big, Small, Short, and Tall, for you to learn on. You can get into any one of them w/o certifications, and they've got good benefits, and pay,too. Many have either reimburstment, or school pay plans. They will send you to school, and pay for it, to boot.
You can also learn on every level of repairs, and maint. because they do everything there is to do on their own trucks. You'll almost never see a Penski truck at a dealer for repairs/maint.

U-Haul is a big no-no for mechanics. It was the first job I got here in Denver and I was screwed every which way possible. In the end, they fired me for not doing my job correctly (adjusting the fan belts exactly the way they wanted) after refusing to teach me their "correct" way of doing it.

Hey Forced. I was in Denver for a few days of last week. I ran out to Salt Lake City, Utah. I came back through, again for the first few days this week. To bad we missed each other. We could have gotten together or something and shot the breeze for a while. I don't know how that happened, but I guess I didn't check, and contact you. I've gotta start doing that. I wonder who's around Mobile, Alabama are. Within 150 miles is cool...will travel...lol.

I'm about 3 miles west of I-25 on 84th ave. I'm always open to meeting a fellow MB fanatic.

well as for big rigs i was thinking of something a little smaller that another co-worker had mentioned. And that was MUNI bus diesel engine mechanic. Ive looked into these and they have cummins 5.9L hybrids. Pretty interesting engines.

Ive looked at the muni page online and they are hiring diesel mechanics that hold a ASE certificate. This may seem like a good route dont ya think?

diesel mechanic experiance would give me the best benefit in the long run for sure.

San Francisco Muni diesel buses
 

I lived in SF from about 1979-2004, and used those buses a lot.

Ruben, if you mean the SF Muni buses, that would be a good possibility to check out also! I think the main bus garage is right on Geary at Masonic and the other one is just down the hill a little way at Geary and Presidio (near the fire station) where they drive the buses over the pits to be worked on. Maybe you could go those places and ask the mechanics what it is like working on those buses.

I think it is a civil service job, so it would be a VERY good salary and excellent benefits and security too. Though those jobs have their share of frankly, lazy mechanics. And you will get every imaginable holiday

You probably will have to join the SF TWU (Transit Workers Union) and the Union Dues will be HUGE, and you won't get much everyday benefit from paying them, but you have to, they will be deducted from each paycheck (Although Union dues are tax deductible). The good thing about the Unions is when they negotiate pay contracts, they do VERY well, the mayor is afraid of them.
If criticized, certain blacks there would likely play the "race card" very quickly and to good effect.

There will be lots of work. The MUNI drivers beat on those buses like you won't believe, and the Sn Francisco hills like Twin Peaks, California Street, and russian hill are MURDER on the diesel engines and the brakes and transmissions. SF Muni will always have jobs for diesel mechanics so long as they use diesel engines in them. I doubt you would need to buy or bring your tools to that job!

Muni bus..., Now that's definately the type of job I would highly recommend. Those guys sit on their asses. They work like a total of 3 hrs, on a very busy day. Not just that but that is a great place to learn. As Jim said, you'll have great job security, and benefits, and holidays. Union totally suck, but you've gotta have some kind of setback, somewhere. I'd take a union I can pretend I do't have, over a job I hate to begin with. Great idea.